The sun., 1887-05-12

ting me out of il But when com o
think of it, deuco bit of of way could
l hit on myself, an shuro I-knew more
about chimneys than any one else in
the place. Twas getting late. too;
there wouldn't be much. more than an
other half-hour of daylight, an the
wind was rising-I could hear it whistl-
ing through the trees. BY this time
people knew what had happened. an
crowd was collecting; l could sec them,
see them coming from all parts. for Of
course l had view all about. / saw n
boy so up to the door Of the counting
house. an presently Master PhAlip'
came out, running as if for his life.
When he came he took the command
like, an began giving directions; an
the people. who had only stared at first
now ran here and there as he sent them.
First they brought out long ladder,
an fixed it on the roof below the chin
mey. l could have told them that twas
too short, knowing rs did the length
of every ladder in the place but some-
how. though heard their shouts plain
ly, could not make them hear mine;
it seemed as if the voices went up, like
smoke. Then there was great delay,
while they went for u longer ladder;
and this, too, didn't reach half way.
A man clmed up it. however, an call
ed out to know had I a bit of string in
my pocket that could let down. Not
bit could Itind. had had q big ball
only the day before, but had taken it
out an put it on shelf at home. l
took off my braces, and fastened them
an my pocket handkerchief together;
but they didn't near reach the top of
the ladder so that plan had to be given
up. s[..
All this time the wind was rising
an l was getting numb with the cold
an stiff an cramped from being so
long in the one position. There was
big clock right over the gateway just
opposite, an l saw that it only wanted
20 minutes to five; an once the dark
ness set in what little hope had would
be gone.
Master Philip seemed to have gone
away by this time, but there was my
father among the crowd; an wh o
should / see, standing next to him, an
holding on by his arm, but Katie!
They had forgotten everything but
the fright about me, an he seemed to
be talking to her, an comforting her.
After bit saw Master Philip again;
he had big thing in his land looking
like pocket handkerchiefs stretched
over frame, an saw that it was a
kite, an that they meant Ito send upsa
string to me in that way. But you
never in all your life saw such an un-
manageable kite. First twas too
heavy, then twas too light, an then
the time they seemed to lose making a
tail to steady it. I heard after that
part of that same tail was made Of
bank notes Master Philip took out of
his pocket when he could get nothing
else quick enough. He got them back
later, for not a man, woman or child
in the place would have touched one of
them when they saw hlm using them
in that way. sssEg8 "a
When the kite did go up at last, the
wind was SO high that they could not
manage it properly. 1t came very near
me once, an made a snatch at the
string. nearly oyer-reaching myself in
doing so; but 1 m. ssed it, an just then
there came terrible gustsof wind, the
string broke, an the kite was carried
away, an stuck fast in the branches of
a big tree behind the masters house.
1 looked over at the clock to see how
much time was left me, an l found
| could not see the hands any longer; the
darkness had come on in the last few
minutes. Then gave up all hope, fol-
| / knew never could hold on till morn
ing. I tried to think of death, an. to
make myself ready for it, but / couldn't
not prayer nor a good word could
II call to mind, only going over an
4 over again in my head the way 'twould
all happen-how the people would &c
away one by one, how I'd be left alone
in the darkness an the bowling wind :
an how at last I'd not be able to holt
on any longer, an fall, an be found in
| the morning all crushed out of shape
The people below seemed to have giver
up all thought of helping now, an were
standing quite quiet. Twas so darh
by this time 1 could not distinguish tht
faces at all; I could just make on
Master Philip in his dark suit among
the white mill men, an poor Katie
! She was crouching down on the gropnt
now, her apron over her head. All O
sudden / saw her leap up, with {
great cry, an clap her hands an cal
out something. Then there was
confused sort of shout, as if every on,
in the crowd was saying the SAM
thing at the same time, an then Mast
er Philip, making a sign to silenc'
them, put his two hands up to hi
mouth an sang out in voice tha
came up to me above the noise of tn
wind; sAt55 atfJ -
'Take off your stocking and ravel it
the thread will'reach the ground"
AT first didn't understand him, bein
| dazed like, but then the meaning cam
on me like message from heaven.
got off on one of my socks with som
a trouble-nice new ones they were, too